


Bike Day

by Juli



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Daddy Kink, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-29
Updated: 2013-05-29
Packaged: 2017-12-13 07:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/821611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juli/pseuds/Juli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike still sometimes liked to ride his bike to work and Harvey hated it. As a boss and mentor, he thought it far too unsophisticated a mode of transportation for an associate employed by one of New York’s most prestigious law firms; as a Daddy, he simply considered it far too dangerous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bike Day

**Author's Note:**

> A happy birthday present for nancy.

Mike still sometimes liked to ride his bike to work and Harvey hated it. As a boss and mentor, he thought it far too unsophisticated a mode of transportation for an associate employed by one of New York’s most prestigious law firms; as a Daddy and lover, he simply considered it far too dangerous. 

Harvey had a sneaking suspicion that most of Mike’s insistence had to do with tweaking the boss and if he’d thought that was the only reason, Harvey would have put an end to it. As a Daddy, though, Harvey knew he had to give his boy a little bit of independence, otherwise Mike’s self-confidence would falter. So, against his better judgment, once a month or so, Harvey would let Mike ride in to work on his dodgy, dumpy old bike instead of sharing a luxury sedan with him.

Harvey liked being early to work; Mike, not so much. Inevitably on the days that Mike rode in under his own power, Harvey beat him to their mutual destination – even if Mike left earlier. Unlike the days where they both used a more civilized means to get to the office, on the bike days, Harvey couldn’t settle in until he knew that Mike had safely arrived. This particular morning was no different. Harvey turned on his computer and tried to look at a few emails, but soon gave it up as a lost cause. With a soft growl, he got up from his desk and strode towards the door.

“Donna, I’m going downstairs to get coffee.” He barked at his assistant.

Far from being offended at being addressed so briskly, Donna instead raised one elegant eyebrow and did her best not to smile. “Bike day?” 

She knew Harvey and Mike were lovers, of course, although even Donna wasn’t privy to the full nature of their relationship. She knew just about everything else, though, including that there were days where Mike still rode his bike. Other than Mike, Donna knew Harvey better than anyone else and so she also knew what that small loss of control could do to Harvey’s temper. She knew and yet was still willing to yank Harvey’s chain about it. There was a reason that Donna got a big bonus every Christmas; Harvey appreciated someone with big balls, even if that someone was a woman.

“Bike day,” he admitted. He punched the down button on the elevator as though it had personally insulted him.

“You know, our puppy was a bike messenger for years. A real Lance Armstrong, but without the cheating and still possessing both testicles.” Donna’s voice was full of the smile that she didn’t let reach her lips. “We might still need to put newspaper on the floor for him here at the office, but Mike should be able to handle the streets.”

Harvey grimaced as the elevator arrived and he got on. When he turned around, he poked an accusing finger at the redhead. “You just jinxed him. I hope you’re happy.”

Donna finally allowed herself to smile. “Ecstatic.”

The doors closed on her amused face and Harvey sighed. No one got on the elevator with him, so Harvey let his expression soften. It tended to do that when he thought of his boy. It had been a given that Harvey would take Mike as a lover, he’d known that even before he’d offered the kid a job at Pearson & Hardman. That had gone as well as Harvey had known it would; the sex had been mind-blowing and Mike challenged him on an intellectual level like no one ever had before. Harvey had been expecting an associate-with-benefits type of arrangement, but to his surprise and satisfaction, their pairing had turned into a true relationship.

Harvey had been content, never believing things with Mike could get any better, until a smugly uttered post-coital ‘Who’s your daddy?’ had caused Mike to gasp and his flush deepen, even though they’d both just experienced orgasms of biblical stature. A corresponding heat had pooled in Harvey’s belly and, before the night was over, Harvey wasn’t just boss, mentor and lover to Mike Ross, he was a Daddy too.

In retro respect, Harvey should have anticipated it. Mike’d been orphaned at a young age and raised by a grandmother. He’d had a distinct lack of influential male figures during his adolescence and young adulthood. For Mike, pushing boundaries was like breathing, as effortless as it was instinctive. Yet Mike had submitted to Harvey’s authority and done so eagerly, despite pithy comments to the contrary. Obviously the younger man had been looking for someone to set and enforce limits, something Harvey had no trouble doing.

More than that, though, Mike had wormed his way into Harvey’s heart and forced himself to admit that, yes, he did care. In fact, Harvey cared a lot. He wore his attitude like one of his suits; it was both camouflage and protective armor. Only with Mike was Harvey willing to put it aside and, thankfully, Mike clearly realized the trust he’d been offered. Although there it was no secret in the office that they were lovers, Mike guarded the more unique aspect of their relationship every bit as jealousy as Harvey did. It was for the two of them and the two of them alone.

By the time the elevator reached the lobby, Harvey’s irritation because of bike day had almost dissipated. Although for the most part Mike thrived with the rules Harvey designed to make Mike’s life better, he still balked against some of them. The bike rule had been a particular sticking point, but Harvey was glad they’d worked out a compromise. His intent was to help Mike, not break his spirit. Harvey could put up with a little extra worry one morning a month if it meant that Mike retained his confidence.

There was a line at the coffee shop that was nestled at the base of the Pearson & Hardman building, but Harvey didn’t mind. He wasn’t having an uncharacteristic Zen moment; it was just that the shop had a good vantage point of the street. He could easily keep an eye out for Mike. Harvey glanced at his watch while he waited, frowning as he realized the time. Mike was perilously close to being late and that wasn’t something that Harvey could permit, as either boss or Daddy.

As though the thought conjured him, Harvey spotted a familiar figure through the window. Mike was gliding through traffic as though he owned it. As much as Harvey didn’t like Mike biking to work, he did love to see the younger man in action; Mike with a set of wheels was poetry. Harvey also had a dual appreciation of the helmet. Not only did it provide necessary protection, but wearing it made Mike look even more like Harvey’s boy than he normally did. 

Mike was concentrating on the cars and his route through them, while Harvey concentrated on Mike – that might have been why neither one of them noticed the oncoming car until it plowed through a stoplight. 

One moment the intersection was clear, the next it was full of yellow metal and wheels, all of it headed directly towards Mike. Harvey watched, horrified, as Mike did his best to get out of the way. He almost made it. The runaway vehicle clipped Mike’s back wheel, sending Mike flying into oncoming traffic. The world became a sickening chaos of color and sound as Harvey dashed through the door, shoving people out of the way as he barreled along the sidewalk. It seemed like forever until he reached the site of the accident, although in reality it had to have taken far less than a minute.

Mike was sprawled on the street, his helmet nowhere to be seen. The red of the blood that already dripped down the side of his face seemed to leech other colors out of the world. There were several people hovering around Mike, although none had yet had the audacity to touch him. Harvey dropped to his knees by his lover, ignoring anything and anyone else.

“Mike?” He called softly. He touched Mike briefly on the throat, eyes closing with relief as he felt the flutter of a pulse. The world seemed to speed up again and he looked at the nearest spectator. “Call 911.”

“Already done, Mister.” A young man crouched by Harvey and brandished his smart phone at him. “I took pictures too. You better not touch him or you’ll mess up the evidence.” Harvey looked at him in disbelief. “I watch CSI all the time; I know what I’m doing.”

“He’s not dead, you moron.” Harvey turned back to Mike, trying to see where the damage was.

“You sure?” His erstwhile helper seemed disappointed. “He sure looks dead to me.”

Harvey gave the irritating stranger exactly the amount of attention he deserved – none. Unfortunately, for all of his education, Harvey wasn’t much better off. He was a lawyer, after all, and not a doctor. He could determine that Mike had a pulse and, from the awkward angle it was at, had a suspicion that the younger man had a broken arm, but that was about it. Harvey longed for Mike to open his eyes, but so far that wasn’t happening. “Where’s the damn ambulance?”

“Look w’th shit did to m’car.” A nearby voice slurred in a loud voice. 

The crowd parted enough for Harvey to see that the yellow car hadn’t been a taxi, as Harvey had first thought. It was a low to the ground sports car, painted in a yellow color that was even more obnoxious than a cab was. The driver-side door was open and a woman stumbled her way towards him; Harvey assumed that she was the driver. As she got closer, Harvey realized why the onlookers had given way. She was familiar, in an almost-celebrity kind of way.

“Stoopid bikers r’a men- men- menace.” The woman swayed to a stop close enough to Harvey that he could smell the alcohol on her. “Outta be sh-sh-shot.”

Harvey didn’t want to leave Mike’s side and that was the only thing saving the woman from being bashed in the face. “You’re going to jail for this,” Harvey promised. 

“Jail?” The woman attempted to straighten to her full height, but stumbled and almost fell over instead. “D-you know who I am?”

Another person answered her before Harvey could.

“I know who you are.” Louis Litt was suddenly there and Harvey could have kissed him right on his shiny bald spot. “You’re the celebrity trash that was stupid enough to mow down the associate of one of the most influential law firms in New York – right in front of our law office.” He approached the swaying woman with an unusually effective stalk. “When we are through with you, you’ll be buried so deep in the New York penal system that even the tabloids will forget where you are, let alone care.”

The woman blinked at Louis myopically for a moment and then hauled off and decked him. She was drunk enough that the punch didn’t even slow Louis down much.

“We can add assault to the laundry list.” Louis wiped away a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. “Oh, it’s on, sweetheart.”

“I’m ‘Merica’s fucking sweetheart.” The woman’s sway marred her attempt for dignity. “No one will believe fugly little man like you.”

A uniformed man stepped out of the crowd and grabbed her by the elbow. “Maybe not, but they’ll believe me, ma’am. I saw the whole thing.” He nodded at Harvey. “An ambulance is on the way, sir. How is he?”

Harvey glanced down at Mike. The younger man was beginning to grimace. Harvey didn’t like the idea of his boy being in pain, but was relieved that Mike was starting to show signs of waking. “Not good.”

“Help is on the way.” The policeman tugged on the woman’s arm. “Come with me, ma’am, I’ve got a breathalyzer that’s just dying to meet you.”

Louis had turned his attention to the crowd, pulling some familiar faces out of it. A couple of Pearson & Hardman associates had come across the accident site and Louis was putting them to good use. The associates were already mingling with the onlookers, smart phones out and ready to record witness statements. Louis was a good corporate lawyer, but had obviously missed his calling. He was an ambulance chaser at heart and, at the moment, that was a very good thing.

A soft groan pulled Harvey’s attention back to where it should have been – Mike. His boy was stirring; the pained expression on his face deepening as he started to shift position, Harvey hastily reached out and gently grabbed Mike’s shoulder.

“Easy, Mike.” He called softly. “You’re okay, but you need to hold still.”

Mike’s eyes fluttered opened, their normal bright blue color dimmed with pain. “Daddy?”

“I’m right here, you’re safe.” Harvey reassured him, bending long enough to bestow a quick kiss on Mike’s forehead and not giving a flying fuck who saw it. “You’re going to be fine.”

“W’happened?” Mike closed his eyes, pressing his cheek into the hand that Harvey had brought up to cup his face.

“You got hit by car.” Harvey explained. “It wasn’t your fault.” Finally, sirens could be heard, although they weren’t as loud as Harvey would have liked. “You’re going to be fine. The ambulance will be here in a minute.”

“NO!” Mike attempted to bolt to a sitting position, but moaned when both his injury and Harvey’s hold prevented it. He bit his lip and waited a moment, probably for the pain to die down a little. “No hospital.”

“Yes, hospital.” Harvey countered firmly. “You were hit by a car, Mike, and your arm is probably broken. Do you hurt anywhere else?”

The look Mike gave him was pure misery. “My head.” He reached up with his uninjured arm and patted at it furiously. “I was wearing my helmet, Daddy, promise!” Someone close to them snickered and Mike flinched as he realized he’d been overheard. “Sorry. . . . Harvey.”

Harvey shifted his grip to Mike’s chin. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He glared at the nearby observers and the woman who’d laughed took a step back. When he returned his gaze to Mike, however, he made sure he’d gentled his expression. “The car ran a red light and you had your helmet on, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

The ambulance arrived before Harvey could reassure Mike any further. Two paramedics hopped out and grabbed some equipment before threading their way through the crowd.

“Was anyone else hurt?” The first man to arrive asked. He was about Harvey’s age and sported auburn dreadlocks that were pulled back into a ponytail. 

Harvey glared in the direction that the policeman had taken the driver. “Not yet.”

“Oookay.” The EMT shot Harvey a dubious look, but didn’t press for details. Instead, he directed his attention to Mike. “Sir, what’s your name?”

The next few minutes were excruciating for Harvey as the paramedics did a quick, but thorough check on Mike’s condition. Mike yelped when they poked at his injured arm, flailing with the other one until Harvey was able to catch his hand. After that, Mike endured the exam quietly, managing to give terse answers to the onslaught of questions. Harvey had tried to answer for him, but after he was shot down by the paramedics for it, figured out that they were partially using how Mike’s responded to gauge his condition.

“We’re going to need to take you in, Mike.” The second paramedic, a woman, eventually said. 

She didn’t get a chance to explain before Mike began protesting. “No, no hospitals!”

Harvey intervened - paramedics and onlookers be damned. “We went over this before, Mike; you’re going to the hospital.”

“You need to listen to your friend, Mike,” the female paramedic chimed in. She was younger than her partner and had been a little startled at Mike’s reaction. “You need a CT scan of your head, to make sure there’s no brain bleeds and I’m guessing they’ll want some x-rays too. You’re not showing any signs of a break besides the arm, but you took quite a tumble, its better safe than sorry.”

“I don’t like hospitals.” Mike blinked rapidly as he spoke in a hoarse whisper. “People go in and they never come out.”

“I’ll be with you the entire time.” Harvey stated firmly. He took Mike’s hand and glared at the paramedics, as though daring them to contradict him. 

The female paramedic chuckled. “Of course you can go with Mike. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The male paramedic with the dreads approached. “Mike, we need to get this collar on you; make sure that your neck is stable while you’re being transported.” 

Mike didn’t look happy about it, but Harvey’s promise to stay with him seemed calm the younger man. Even in boy-mode, it wasn’t like Mike to be so needy and Harvey figured that Mike’s reaction had to do with lingering trauma from his parents’ deaths. 

“Harvey.”

Taking his eyes off of Mike for a moment, Harvey turned to Louis. “Could you fill Donna and Jessica in on what happened?”

Louis looked smug. “Already have. Donna said to tell you to let her know when you know if Ross is going to be admitted. If they’re sending him home, she’ll bring him some clothes. And Jessica said she won’t expect you in the rest of the week.”

Harvey’s eyebrows raised in surprise at the last bit. Granted, it was Thursday, but that was unusually generous of Jessica. Obviously, Mike had gotten under the skin of more than one person at Pearson & Hardman.

“Thanks, Louis.” Harvey was so grateful that saying those words to Louis Litt, of all people, didn’t even stick in his throat. 

Louis shrugged with uncharacteristic modesty. “The only one allowed to do bodily harm to one of our associates is me. We’ll make sure the bitch pays for what she’s done, one way or another.”

The good thing about interacting with Louis is that the man wasn’t exactly sensitive. At one point Harvey would have said that Louis didn’t have a sentimental bone in his body, but that was before he found out that Louis had a cat. Even so, there was no need to prolong the conversation. He simply nodded at Louis and returned his attention to Mike. 

The paramedics had finished positioning the collar on Mike’s neck and were in the process of lifting Mike onto a stretcher. Harvey heard Mike gasp his name as the move was made and hurried to reach for his lover’s hand.

“Right here, Mike.” Harvey reassured him. “I’ll be with you all of the way.”

The paramedics lifted the stretcher into the ambulance, with the woman staying in the back with Mike and Harvey. Harvey stayed on the side by Mike’s uninjured arm, keeping his grip on Mike’s hand. Mike’s eyes started to drift shut as the ambulance pulled out.

“Mike?” The paramedic called. “Are you getting sleepy?”

“Dizzy.” Mike swallowed hard as his grip on Harvey’s hand tightened.

The ambulance was lined with bins and she grabbed an item that looked like a small Frisbee with a sock dangling from it. This was tucked in close to Mike’s good hand.

“If you feel like you’re going to vomit, try and use this.” She patted Mike’s shoulder in sympathy and went about starting an IV in his arm. “Vomiting isn’t unusual for a head trauma and it looks like you banged your head pretty hard . . . but don’t worry. It’s not very pleasant, but you’re going to be fine.”

“So much for the helmet he was wearing,” Harvey muttered, miffed that Mike had gotten injured despite his protective gear.

“It was worth every penny he paid.” The paramedic said firmly. Harvey looked at her in surprise; so far, she’d been the cliché of a helpful emergency worker. “Believe me when I say that you do not want to see what he might have looked like if he took that kind of hit without a helmet. Seriously messing up his good looks would have been the least of his worries – if he’d even survived.”

Both men looked at her silently, in varying degrees of unease. Realizing that she’d gone too far, the EMT sighed. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve seen some pretty tragic cases where a simple helmet would have saved someone’s life. The stupidity of it gets to me sometimes.”

Harvey turned to Mike. “Good boy on the helmet.” Under the circumstances, he figured he could get away with the nickname.

Mike closed his eyes. “Thanks.”

“Mike?” The EMT leaned forward. “You’ve got to stay awake for me.”

When Mike didn’t immediately obey, Harvey patted his good arm. “Come on, Mike, you heard what the nice lady said.”

Mike groaned, but complied. “But I thought you said that I wasn’t in any danger?”

Normally whining was forbidden or was at least punishable. Harvey decided to let it slide, since his boy was bound to be hurting pretty bad. Not only that, but he was thrilled that Mike’s words weren’t slurring anymore. 

“I don’t think you are, but it’d be pretty dumb to take any risks after you were so smart to wear a helmet in the first place.” The EMT smiled, but was firm. “So you need to stay awake until the docs take some pictures of your head.”

“Constitutional Law, Kinkopf,” Harvey stated. “Start reciting.”

“Like you’d know if I was right anyway,” Mike muttered. Harvey lifted one eyebrow in warning. There were limits to the attitude he was willing to take, even if his boy was hurting. Mike sighed. “What edition?”

Harvey patted his arm. “17th. Start wherever you’d like.”

Mike started rattling off words and it was the EMT’s turn to look surprised. Harvey leaned over and whispered to her. “Eidetic memory.”

She grinned. “Well, looks like we can rule out brain damage. This is a very good sign.”

The ambulance ride took a lot longer than Harvey liked. Mike kept up his soft recitation, his voice gasping to halt whenever the vehicle hit a bump or swerved. It was New York and there were a lot of those. Whenever it happened, Harvey would squeeze Mike’s good hand, encouraging him and reminding him that he wasn’t alone.

Finally, they reached the hospital and there was a gratifying amount of activity. The ambulance backed up to the Emergency Room doors and the EMTs got the stretcher inside in rapid time. While Mike and Harvey waited in a glass-walled cubicle, Harvey could see the female EMT talking to a nurse; he assumed the male one had already gone back to the ambulance. The EMT noticed him watching and waved at him jauntily as she took her leave.

The next little bit was an exercise in patience for Harvey. Obviously Mike wasn’t considered to be in imminent danger, because first a nurse came in and asked a series of questions. Was Mike allergic to anything? How long had he been unconscious? Did he take any medication? Through it all Harvey held on to his temper. He knew the information was important, even if it took too damn long to gather.

The neck collar was left on and Mike’s injured arm was immobilized by a sling. It was also lifted to chest level with a pillow, which didn’t look as comfortable as Harvey would have thought it would be. The fact that cold packs were placed around it might have had something to do with that. 

“The doctor will be in with you in a minute, Mr. Ross.” The nurse finished up and got ready to leave.

Harvey had noticed that Mike’s face was slowing becoming tinged with green, no doubt the pain was causing nausea. “Can he get something for the pain?”

The nurse looked genuinely sorry when she answered. “I’m sorry, no. Not until the head CT scan is done.” She looked at Mike. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ross. Dr. Kincaid will be in just as soon as he can. He won’t leave you hurting a moment longer than he has to.”

Mike started to nod, but then stopped with a grimace. “Oh, that was not a good idea.”

Despite her words, the next person in wasn’t the doctor, but a nursing assistant. He had a folded pile of clothing on his arm. “Mr. Ross, I’m here to help you get more comfortable.”

Although Mike wasn’t the clothes horse yet that Harvey was, he still looked at the gown with distaste. “Do I have to?”

The question wasn’t directed at the nursing assistant, it was directed to Harvey.

“Yes, you do.” Harvey didn’t give in to those big, blue eyes. “You’re probably going to be getting some tests, you can’t wear regular clothes for that.”

Mike didn’t give up. “It’s gonna hurt.”

That it would, which cemented what Harvey had already been thinking. He looked at the assistant. “Got a scissors?”

The assistant looked relieved. “That’s usually the easiest.” He moved to one of the cabinets that lined the room.

“D-Harvey,” Mike protested in a hoarse whisper. “I like this suit.”

“I’ll buy you a new one,” Harvey promised. “It was ruined anyway.”

“But-. . . .” 

Harvey had a feeling it wasn’t the suit or even the possibility of pain that was fueling Mike’s rebellion. Things were spinning out of Mike’s control and he responded by testing Harvey. That couldn’t continue. His boy needed structure and, even more, he needed to know that Harvey was going to provide that structure.

“Michael,” Harvey cut him off. “Enough. The suit is history.” 

When the assistant came back with the scissors, Mike didn’t make any other protests. Harvey made sure that he was the one welding the cutting implement; there was no way someone he didn’t know would handle a sharp metal object next to Mike’s vulnerable skin. Under other circumstances, it might have been fun to cut the clothes off of Mike, but with Mike flinching every time his arm was jostled, it was far from enjoyable.

Without too much effort on Mike’s part, Harvey and the nursing assistant soon had the young man garbed in a hospital gown. Mike didn’t complain about it, but his face spoke volumes.

After the assistant left, Harvey pulled a plastic chair over. Before he sat down, he bent forward to put a soft kiss on Mike’s forehead. “Hang in there, kiddo. I’m so proud of you; you’re being so brave.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Mike looked up with eyes that were dark with pain.

“Daddy will always be here,” Harvey promised him. He sat and pulled Mike’s good hand into his so that he could press a kiss to the back of it. 

“I’m sorry I’m being so much trouble.” Mike whispered.

“Hey, you’re not trouble.” Harvey turned Mike’s hand over so he could kiss the palm. “And even if you were, I happen to like trouble.”

“But I’m making you miss a morning of work,” Mike was having a hard time accepting reassurance. “And I talked back to you about the suit.”

Harvey cupped Mike’s cheek. “Mike, it’s okay. You didn’t get hurt on purpose. None of this your fault.”

Mike leaned into the touch. “You’re not mad at me?”

Harvey shook his head. “Not at all. Like I said, I’m proud of you.” He sighed a little when Mike yawned hugely. “You have to stay awake, Mike.”

Thankfully the nurse was right about the doctor being in soon. Before Harvey could resort to having Mike start reciting from law textbooks again, a kindly gentleman who was old enough to Harvey’s father walked in. He had a fringe of silver hair with the top of his bald head gleaming so brightly that it reflected the lights from the ceiling.

“Well, now, Mr. Ross.” The doctor said as he walked in, still glancing at Mike’s chart. “I’m Dr. Kincaid. I understand that you had a disagreement with a car.”

Mike smiled wanly. “Something like that.”

The doctor looked him up and down, before smiling broadly. “You’re lucky; usually in a bike vs. automobile disagreement, the bike comes out looking a lot worse than you do right now.” His face gentled into sympathy. “Although I’m sure you feel anything but lucky at the moment.”

“When can Mike get something for the pain?” Harvey asked. All the patience he’d exhibited earlier abruptly flew out the window.

The doctor’s eyebrows went up. “And you are. . . .”

“Harvey Specter,” Harvey started to introduce himself, but didn’t get to finish.

“My boss and partner.” Mike stated, almost defiantly. 

Harvey had to forgive him on the attitude. Although it was getting a lot better, they still sometimes ran into prejudice, especially from the generation that the doctor appeared to be in. Apparently they’d lucked out on that regard, because far from looking offended, the doctor started to chuckle.”

“Boss and partner, smart of you to figure that out early.” His wink included both Mike and Harvey. “Took me a couple of years to figure out that my wife was both spouse and chief commander. Life got a lot easier once I realized that having a medical license did not make me the person in charge of the marriage.” He smiled fondly. “Married 45 years, though, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Before Harvey could insist that the doctor get back on track, Dr. Kincaid did it for himself. “As for your question, Mr. Specter, that will depend on just how badly your young man here banged his head.” He pointed at Harvey. “Something tells me that you can be a bit overprotective. I’m going to poke and prod at Mike for a few minutes and he’s not going to like it very much, which means you’re going to like it even less. If you don’t think you can handle that without interfering, you can step outside for a few minutes.”

Harvey was still holding Mike’s hand and he felt it tighten into a grip that was almost crushing. He turned to smile at Mike in reassurance, before addressing the doctor. “I can handle it. Just. . . be careful.” The last was more of a threat than a request.

Dr. Kincaid wasn’t offended; no doubt he’d heard worse. “One of the bad things about being a physician is the necessity of inflicting pain in order to heal.” He smiled kindly at Mike. “Don’t worry, though. One of the good things about being old is that I’ve had a lot of practice at this kind of thing. I’ll be as gentle as possible.”

The doctor was right on all accounts. Mike didn’t like the exam at all – and Harvey did not enjoy seeing his boy squirm and gasp with pain. Still, even Harvey could tell that the doctor kept his touch soft and fast. In short order, Mike’s limbs were felt, to check for breaks, with special care taken with the one that was obviously broken. A light was shone into both eyes, causing Mike to flinch back, but rather than reprimanding him, the doctor just patted Mike on the shoulder with a quiet “I’m sorry, I know that’s uncomfortable.” Lastly, Dr. Kincaid palpitated Mike’s stomach and abdomen. Harvey was relieved when that part of the exam didn’t bother Mike at all – Harvey had been worried about possible internal injuries.

When he was done. Dr. Kincaid snagged a rolling stool and sat down at the side of the bed. “Another part about being old is that you pace yourself. Only the foolishly young pass up a chance to rest.” He turned his attention to Mike. “You’ve got a broken arm and a mild concussion, neither of which are news to you, I’m sure. However, the body can sometimes be sneaky and, since we have all these wonderful tools, we’re going to be safe rather than sorry. I am going to order a CT scan for you right away; once we’ve established that there’s no brain bleeds, we can get you something for the pain. After that, we’ll do some X-rays to make sure that your neck is okay and that there are no hairline fractures hiding anywhere. Then, finally, we can set the arm.” He looked at Harvey. “He’s going to be fine.”

Harvey let out a deep breath that he hadn’t even been aware that he’d been holding. “Thank you, doctor. When can we get that CT scan scheduled?”

The doctor laughed as he stood. “You’re a lawyer, aren’t you, son?”

The question set off laughter from Mike. “You pegged him right, how did you know?”

“Let’s just say this isn’t my first rodeo.” Dr. Kincaid didn’t explain further. “As soon as the CT scan comes back clear, I’ll make sure that you get that pain medication.”

Dr. Kincaid left and Harvey stood so that he could see Mike’s face better. “How are you doing?”

“My head hurts and my arm hurts.” Mike complained. “I can’t move my neck because of this stupid collar and I have to pee.”

Harvey kissed his temple again. “Well, that last one I can fix.” He pressed the button that would tell the staff that Mike needed help. It took a few minutes before there was a response and Mike was well and truly squirming before the nursing assistant returned. 

“What can I do for you?”

“He needs to use the bathroom, like now.” Harvey was a little to brusque with the man, but his patience was wearing thin.

“Sure thing.” The assistant headed towards the cabinets and came back with a plastic bottle that was obviously a urinal. 

“No way.” Mike’s eyes were huge. “I want to get up.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ross, but with a possible concussion and dizziness issues, Dr. Kincaid doesn’t want you up and about.” The assistant looked genuinely sympathetic. “Not to mention jostling your arm too much. I know it’s not a lot of fun, but it happens here all the time.”

Mike’s eyes darted to Harvey, but he didn’t get a lot of help there. Instead of protesting the doctor’s orders, Harvey simply held out his hand for the urinal. “I’ll help him.”

The nursing assistant didn’t protest. “No problem. Just push the button again when he’s all done.” 

In addition to a sliding glass door, the emergency room cubicle also had a curtain that could be pulled, offering privacy. The assistant did that before he left. Once he was gone, Harvey approached the bed with determination. 

“Daddy. . .” Mike eyed the urinal with trepidation. “I don’t have to go anymore, honest.”

Harvey didn’t believe him, but let the lie slide. Mike was having an absolutely horrible morning. “That’s too bad, because you’re going to try.”

With a nonchalance that he didn’t feel, Harvey pulled the covers up and gently placed the urinal before tugging the blanket back down to offer even more discretion. Mike, cheeks a flaming red, wouldn’t even look at him. Worse yet, there was no trickle forthcoming.

“I tell you what,” Harvey wasn’t a strong believer in bribing his boy in order to get the proper behavior, but sometimes it was necessary. “You pee in this and I’ll tell you where the strangest place I ever peed was.”

His offer got him eye contact. “What?”

“You heard me.” Harvey repeated the bargain’s terms anyway. “If you successfully use the urinal, I’ll tell you were the strangest place I ever took a piss was.”

Mike eyed him suspiciously. “It better be better than at the side or the road or something.”

Harvey grinned. “You’ll never find out unless you cooperate.”

His tactic wasn’t successful right away. Mike huffed and looked away again, but made a clear effort to relax. Eventually Harvey heard the distinctive noise of liquid hitting plastic and it went on for several moments. Mike had indeed had to go and pretty badly too. Like with removing Mike’s clothes, helping him could have been enjoyable under other circumstances, but things being as they were, it was embarrassing for both. Harvey tried to minimize that by being very matter of fact about the whole thing.

“I’m done.” Mike stated after the trickle petered off.

“Good boy.” Harvey bent and kissed him on the forehead before removing the urinal. He put it on the counter and used the small sink there to wash his hands. By the time he was done, Mike’s blush had cooled a little and the younger man was looking at him almost eagerly.

“So where was it?” Mike asked.

Harvey took his time taking his seat again, fussing with the chair while Mike squirmed with impatience. There was more to his actions that simply prolonging Mike’s payoff; he wanted his boy distracted from the pain for as long as possible.

“Daddy. . . .” Mike whined. “You promised!”

“That I did.” Harvey grinned at Mike. “The strangest place I ever peed was. . . Louis’ office.”

“Louis!” Mike gaped, his reaction every bit as good as Harvey had hoped. “Louis as in Louis Litt – that Louis?”

“Yeah, that Louis.” Harvey knew expression was smug, but didn’t care. He pointed a finger at Mike to emphasize his next point. “If you ever tell him that, I’ll not only deny it, but once we get home you won’t be sitting down for a week.”

“I won’t tell, Daddy, promise.” Mike’s grin was impish. “No one would believe me, anyway.”

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation.

“Mr. Ross, may I come in?” A female voice called out. “I’m here to take you for your CT scan.”

“Finally,” Harvey muttered under his breath. The scan was the last hurdle to get out of the way before Mike got some pain medication. Given his interactions with Mike, Harvey was fairly certain that the knock to the head hadn’t been too serious, so he was more worried about the discomfort his lover was feeling than anything else.

The bed Mike had been placed on had wheels, so he didn’t have to move to a wheelchair. Harvey figured that was a pretty good thing, because Mike’s face looked a little green as he was wheeled down the hospital corridor. The newest aide, a quiet young woman about Mike’s age, hadn’t batted an eye at Harvey accompanying them. Once they made it to the Imaging Department, she turned Mike’s bed over to a technician and that’s where Harvey’s luck changed.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t come in.” The tech stopped Harvey from following Mike’s bed into the scanning room. “Only the patient.” Her eyes narrowed, obviously expecting a protest. “No exceptions, it’s very sensitive equipment. Don’t worry, I’ve scanned hundreds of people and I haven’t lost one yet.”

“I’ll be okay, Harvey.” Mike said. He didn’t look okay, with large eyes, dark with pain, in a pale face, but Harvey knew he didn’t have a choice.

“I’ll be right outside, Mike.” Harvey promised. 

Mike bit his lip, but didn’t protest as he was wheeled away. Once he was out of sight, Harvey let out a deep breath and sagged against the wall. Mike wasn’t the only one having a shitty morning.

After a very brief respite, Harvey pulled out his phone. He had several texts from Donna, each showing escalating concern. He considered texting her back, but decided that as easy as that would be in the short run, handling it that way would have long run consequences. 

No one who worked at Pearson & Hardman - no one - pissed Donna Paulson off if they had any other alternative.

Harvey pulled up Donna’s contact screen and placed the call. In the interests of preserving his ass from being chewed off, he started talking as soon as the ringing ceased. “He’s going to be fine.”

“Thank God,” Donna’s relief was palatable. “I thought he was in surgery or something since you haven’t called me in hours.”

Mildly surprised, Harvey looked at his watch. Sure enough a couple of hours had gone by since he’d left his office to wait for Mike’s arrival. “You’ve probably known his condition even before I did,” Harvey was willing to tease since Mike was going to be okay. “You’ve got eyes and ears everywhere.”

“True – and don’t you forget it. Still, there’s something to be said for hearing it from you and not someone else.” Donna wasn’t so quick to let him off the hook. “Are they keeping him?”

“Probably not,” Harvey answered. He looked at the door Mike’d been wheeled through, trying to will it to open. Unfortunately, it stayed firmly shut. “Depends on the outcome of the CT scan and X-rays, but doesn’t seem likely.”

“Good.” Donna hardly took a pause long enough to breathe. “All right, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to your apartment and get Mike some clean clothes. I’ll bring them to the hospital, along with a sandwich.”

“The food isn’t necessary. Like I said, they’re probably not admitting him.”

Donna chuckled smugly. “Oh, Harvey, you don’t have much experience with hospitals, do you? Time runs differently there; you’ll be lucky to be home by dark and we both know that you wouldn’t do cafeteria food well.”

It was pointless to argue with Donna when she was on a roll. “Okay, but I need you to call Mike’s grandmother too.”

“Harvey Specter, I am not calling the sweet old lady to tell her that her grandson was hit by a car and is at the hospital. Shame on you.” Donna’s voice was flat.

Harvey rubbed his forehead. It was a long shot that Donna would take that task off his hands, but it was worth a try. “All right, all right. I’ll call her.”

“You’ll do no such thing.” Donna protested. “I’ll go to the home and tell her in person – but not until I’ve seen Mike for myself. She shouldn’t get news like that over the phone.”

“I don’t deserve you,” Harvey stated with absolutely no sarcasm.

“No, you don’t.” Donna was not burdened with a false sense of modesty. “Now, take care of our boy until I can get there.”

Harvey tried not to bristle at someone else, even someone as trusted as Donna, referring to Mike as their boy. “How’s Louis coming with the bitch that hit Mike?”

Donna’s chuckle was throaty and full of satisfaction. “Our little bantam rooster is making her sorry that she was ever born. At the moment, I believe he’s with the police, making sure she’s doesn’t talk her way out of custody and get the whole thing swept under the rug.”

It was hard to remember anything but Mike’s still body, but Harvey forced himself to consider his memories of the accident scene. “There were a lot of witnesses.”

“And I think that Louis or one of his minions have talked to them all, believe me.” Donna replied. “We have photos and we have video of her drunken rant at Mike. Best yet, we have another injury, which is going to guarantee an impeccable witness.”

“Someone else got hurt?” Harvey was surprised. He’d thought Mike had been the only one.

There was a note of triumph in Donna’s voice when she answered. “Fendi Selleria.”

Harvey had a feeling he probably should recognize the name, but was drawing a blank. “Is that a man or a woman?”

Donna laughed. “You’re getting a little sloppy on your designer names, Harvey. Fendi Selleria is handbag and it probably costs more than your average minimum wage worker earns in a year. Let’s just say that its owner was not happy when it was damaged.”

“We’ve got a witness because someone’s pissed that her purse got scratched?” Even after working with New York’s elite for years, sometimes Harvey had a hard time believing their behavior.

“We have a city council member on a rampage because a valuable piece of property worth thousands of dollars was destroyed in a wanton display of carelessness.” Donna corrected him primly. “And, of course, because a citizen of voting age ended up in the hospital.”

 

“Ah.” Harvey smiled. Donna wasn’t a lawyer, but could legal speak with the best of them. “I stand corrected.” The door to the testing room opened and Harvey’s priorities changed. “Sorry, Donna, I’ve got to go. See you when you get down here.”

Harvey hurried to the side of the bed and was relieved to find that Mike looked none the worse for wear. “Hey there, how are you holding up?”

“Tired.” Mike closed his eyes.

“Hey, no sleeping yet.” Harvey pushed Mike’s bangs off of his forehead. “Just a little while longer, I promise.”

Mike didn’t protest, just sighed softly and leaned into Harvey’s touch.

“I’m sorry, I have to take him down to X-ray now.” The tech truly did sound apologetic for the interruption. “I’ll make sure the CT results get looked at right away.”

“We appreciate that.” Harvey backed up a step, but kept his hand on Mike’s good arm. “This is the last test, Mike.”

At least, it had better be the last one. Mike didn’t look like he could take much more and Harvey was pretty wiped out too.

Mike was handed off to yet another technician, who soon got to work. Harvey was allowed into the X-ray room, which was good thing because it was necessary to move Mike’s arm to position it properly for test. Mike did his best to remain stoic, biting his lip when his arm was jostled, but eventually it got to be too much.

“Gonna be sick.” Mike muttered. If it weren’t for the faint tinge of green, his face would have no color at all.

Thankfully, there was a kidney-shaped plastic bowl at hand. Harvey supported Mike with a touch on the lower part of his back while the younger man hunched over and heaved. Breakfast had been hours away and not much to begin with, so there wasn’t much to come up. After a few minutes, Mike leaned back. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Harvey reassured him. He handed off the bowl to a less than thrilled technician. “We done here?”

The technician put the bowl on the counter. “Yes, I believe so. Mr. Ross, let’s get you back to the ER. You’ll be more comfortable there.”

Harvey walked beside the bed as the technician rolled Mike back to the cubicle he’d started out in. After the man left, the two were alone. Harvey kissed Mike’s temple. “I’m proud of you, Mike.”

“When can we leave?” Mike asked. “Seems like we’ve been here forever.”

“We’ll go as soon as the doctor says it’s okay,” Harvey promised. He watched while Mike’s eyes started to drift close. He had a feeling that keeping Mike awake was going to get increasingly difficult and that a dry recitation of a law textbook wouldn’t do the trick this time.

“I think Shatner’s Kirk would kick Pine’s Kirk’s ass.” Harvey stated, hiding a grin when Mike glared at him.

“Are you kidding?” Mike protested. “Pine’s way better – and he’s got his own hair too.”

Indignation gave Mike extra energy over the next little bit while the two debated the various incarnations of Star Trek. It didn’t last as long as Harvey would have liked; Mike started to flag after a few minutes. Luckily, the nurse came back in and she was brandishing a needle.

“Good news, Mike.” The nurse’s smile was wide. “The CT scan came back clear. Mike may have a mild concussion, but no brain bleeds. Dr. Kincaid gave the go ahead on pain medication.”

Finally.

Harvey watched with satisfaction as the nurse injected the medicine into Mike’s IV. The effect was almost instant, Mike’s face relaxed and he sighed in relief. “That’s good.”

The nurse tossed the needle in the disposal container. “The doctor wants a chance to look at the X-rays before he sets the arm, so the wait’s going to be a little longer. At least it ought to be more comfortable now.”

“Oh, yeah.” Mike’s smile was as wide as the Cheshire Cat’s. “He can take as long as he wants.”

Harvey rubbed his forehead. He was glad that Mike wasn’t in pain anymore, but wasn’t sure if getting the young man high was any better. It’d been a struggle to get Mike off pot. Mentally, Harvey made a note to keep a close eye on Mike; there was no way he was allowing that habit to start up again.

“Can he sleep too?” Harvey asked.

“Sure can,” the nurse chuckled when she glanced at Mike. “Looks like he’s halfway there.”

And he was. Mike’s eyes were partially closed. Harvey thanked the nurse and watched her leave. When the two were alone again, he kissed Mike on the forehead. “Close your eyes, Mike. Daddy’s right here.”

Harvey settled in the plastic chair, keeping his grip on Mike’s good hand with one of his own while he dug out his phone with the other. He used the respite to catch up on his texts, informing Donna of the outcome and getting an update from Louis. From the latter, he found out that the woman who’d hit Mike was some sort of reality show star. Harvey’s grin was far from nice. The bitch was going to get a good dose of a hard reality, if Harvey had anything to say about it.

Finally there was nothing more to be done. Harvey felt as tired as though he’d run a marathon. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting a light doze take him.

“Oh, Harvey.”

Harvey startled and looked up. Donna was standing in the doorway to the cubicle, eyes big as she stared at Mike and one hand pressed to her mouth.

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” Harvey glanced at Mike, who was pale as he slept. The kid looked like ten miles of bad road. “Okay, maybe it is as bad as it looks.”

Mike stirred and Harvey rapidly stood, running his hand through Mike’s hair until his boy settled. Turning towards Donna, he gently took her by the elbow and led her from the room. They only went a few steps away, though, since Harvey didn’t want to take a chance of Mike waking and finding him gone.

“He looks terrible,” Donna exclaimed, her eyes suspiciously dewy.

“He’s got a mild concussion and a broken arm,” Harvey reassured her. “Doctor says he’s going to be fine.”

Donna sniffed. “Of course he’d going to be fine.” She eyed Harvey. “It might take you longer to get over this than him.”

“Me?” Harvey was puzzled by her comment.

“Yeah, you.” Donna shook her head. “You’ve got the biggest heart I know and the puppy owns most of it. He scared you but good today.”

“Harvey Specter doesn’t get scared.” Harvey scoffed.

Donna reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “Yes, he does.” She handed Harvey a bag. “Now eat your sandwich while I keep an eye on Mike. You’ll feel better on a full stomach.”

Harvey looked into the bag. His stomach was rumbling, but he wasn’t sure he should eat. “Doesn’t seem right when Mike hasn’t eaten.”

“He hasn’t had his arm set yet, has he?” Donna continued when Harvey shook his head. “Well, then he should probably wait until afterwards. Don’t worry, I took the liberty of having some groceries from your favorite gourmet shop delivered to your place. Some soup and lunchmeat, along with some basics in case you feel like cooking for your boy.”

Boy. It was an odd choice of words coming from Donna and Harvey glanced at her in concern. Donna’s smile was enigmatic to say the least. She sauntered into the cubicle, shooing at Harvey with her hands. “Eat.”

It didn’t take long for Harvey to come to the conclusion that it didn’t matter if Donna had an inkling of what his relationship with Mike was like. Donna had been keeping Harvey’s secrets for years. Harvey trusted her and Mike over anyone else.

Harvey dug the sandwich out of the bag and quickly unwrapped it. He didn’t think he was that hungry until he took a bit and then his appetite hit hard. He wolfed it down and only partially because he was anxious to get back to Mike. As a result, it was only a few moments before he was heading back into the cubicle and to Mike.

Donna turned around when he came in. “He hasn’t so much as twitched.”

“Good.” Harvey stepped closer to the bed, but managed to keep his hands off of Mike. He didn’t want to wake him after everything Mike’d been through. “About damn time.”

“I can see he’s in good hands.” Donna kissed Harvey on the cheek. “Ray is standing by, just give him a call when you need a ride home. I’m off to see Edith.”

“Thank you, Donna.” As usual, Harvey didn’t know what he’d do without her and from her smirk, Donna was well aware of that fact.

“You owe me.” Donna brushed off his thanks as she headed out the door. “But I’ll add it to your tab.”

The morning had been full of waiting, with the steps needed to treat Mike seeming to go at a snail’s pace. That changed after Donna left, almost as though she’d gotten the entire hospital staff hopping to her tune. Knowing Donna, that might actually be true. Be that as it may, shortly after she left, the nurse returned.

“All right, we’re ready to take Mike to the casting room and get that arm taken care of,” the nurse announced. “It looks like the pain medication’s had a chance to work.”

“You think it’ll be enough?” Harvey asked. Getting the arm set was not going to be any fun for Mike.

“We’ll top it off before the doctor gets started,” the nurse promised. She walked towards Mike, clearly intent on waking him, but Harvey stepped in before she could.

“Let me.”

The nurse nodded. “Of course.”

Harvey positioned himself so that he’d be the first thing that Mike saw when he opened his eyes. “Mike?”

“Mmmm. . . .” Mike’s eyelids twitched, but he didn’t exactly wake.

It was a familiar response to trying to wake Mike, a fact that made Harvey feel a lot better. “Come on, Mike, rise and shine. Once you get the cast on your arm, we can get out of here and go home.”

Blue eyes popped open. “Home?”

“Yeah.” Harvey promised, but couldn’t help but tease. “Unless you’d like to stay here?”

“No!” Mike shook his head before he remembered why that was a bad idea. Wincing, he toned down his response. “I’m awake.”

“That’s great.” The nurse had observed the whole exchange with thinly veiled amusement. “I won’t even hold it against you that you’re so eager to leave us.”

Mike gave her the puppy dog eyes. “Sorry.”

She laughed heartily. “Don’t be, hon. If I took that personal every time someone was itchin’ to get out of here, I would have gotten a different job a long time ago.”

This time, Mike was eased into a wheelchair. Harvey was worried how the younger man would take sitting upright after laying own for so long, but if anything, Mike seemed to revive a bit. He looked around with interest as he was wheeled down the corridors; pain medication had worked wonders.

Dr. Kincaid was waiting for them. “Mike, you’re looking better.”

“I feel better.” Mike replied. “Thanks for the happy juice.”

“Glad you feel that way, because you’re about to get more.” The doctor directed their attention to a light box mounted on the wall. A set of X-rays were already displayed on it. “I’ve got your pictures here. As you can see, your arm is a simple non-displaced fracture.”

“Of course,” Harvey murmured. He had no idea what he was supposed to be looking at.

The doctor grinned at him. “You’re just going to have to trust me on this one. It’s a fairly simple break. Jennifer is going to give Mike more of that juice he likes so much, then I’m going to set the fracture. There’s an X-ray over there, I’ll check my work and then we’ll get the arm in a cast so it can heal straight.”

Mike looked resigned. “Sounds like fun.”

“First, though, I want you to pick out your cast material before you’re under the influence.” The doctor eyed Mike. “Or more under the influence.”

“What are the choices?” Harvey asked.

Dr. Kincaid pulled out what looked like fabric choices. “You can your pick of plain white or one of these designer colors.”

Harvey wasn’t sure who the designer of the colors was, but he had a feeling that whoever it was had still been in elementary school. They were all bright enough to make his eyes water. He watched Mike as Mike looked them over. Mike barely glanced at the white, but his gaze was drawn repeatedly to one particular sample.

Mike sighed. “I think I better go with white.”

Harvey didn’t like the resigned tone in Mike’s voice. Besides, he liked to spoil his boy once in a while and, after the morning they’d had, Mike definitely deserved some spoiling. “Wait a minute. Isn’t white a bit bland?”

“You wouldn’t mind a color?” Mike asked, a hopeful look on his face.

“Nope, knock yourself out.” Harvey nodded.

“The blue is nice,” Mike said, but when Dr. Kincaid reached for it, Harvey voiced his disagreement.

“You sure?” Harvey asked. “I thought the green was nicer.”

It was the fluorescent green that Mike’s eyes had kept being drawn to. It was as un-Harvey a color as he could imagine existing. Mike must have thought the same, because he gaped at him.

“Are you kidding?” Mike exclaimed. “Jessica would have a cow.”

“Jessica does not have cows.” Harvey corrected him, but then relented. “She might, however, give us the Pearson Eyebrow of Disapproval.”

Dr. Kincaid chuckled. “This Jessica sounds like a formidable woman.”

Mike winced. “You have no idea.” The look he gave Harvey could only be described as pleading. “You sure you don’t mind the green?”

“I’m sure.” Harvey told him. He didn’t point out that it was Mike’s arm, since as Mike’s Daddy, even a temporary thing like a cast needed his approval. “Besides, a savvy lawyer can use something like a cast to win a jury’s sympathy. There’s no reason not to choose the color you really want.”

“We’ll take the green,” Mike happily told Dr. Kincaid.

“Good choice.” If Dr. Kincaid thought it was an odd color choice for a man of Mike’s age, he didn’t show it.

Harvey was glad that the color made Mike happy, because the next half hour or so was otherwise unpleasant. The nurse, Jennifer, did administer additional painkiller through Mike’s IV. Dr. Kincaid had Mike put his arm on a table and then manipulated the arm until he got the bone aligned. The medication took the edge off for Mike, but Harvey almost lost his lunch during the procedure. He was the one that held Mike’s shoulders while it was going on and could see the bone move under the skin. 

There was a small, mobile X-ray machine in the room, so it was just a matter of positioning it over Mike’s arm to make sure the bone was properly aligned. It was, so Dr. Kincaid quickly applied the cast. Thankfully, the medication was doing its job. After the hissing in pain when the bone was set, Mike had largely been passive during the rest of the procedure.

“Well, that’s done, then.” Dr. Kincaid wiped his hands clean after he finished. Mike’s arm was incased in the shockingly green cast.

“How long will he need to wear that?” Harvey asked.

“About six weeks, give or take. Mike’ll want to follow up with his primary doctor to determine exactly when it should come off.” There was a document holder on the wall that held a number of different pamphlets. Dr. Kincaid looked through them before finding the one he wanted. “It’s fiberglass, but he’ll still want to make sure he doesn’t get it wet, so you might want to invest in some plastic wrap. For the next couple of days, I want him to keep the arm elevated. I’m going to send him home with some more pain medication and muscle relaxers.”

Harvey frowned. “Muscle relaxers?”

“Right now, Mike’s arm and head are vying for the most attention, but when they die down, the rest of his body is going to remind him that it was banged up too.” The doctor shook his head. “I’m afraid he’s going to be sore for a while.”

Knowing that was all too likely to be true, Harvey just sighed. “Can I take him home now?”

“It’ll take the pharmacy a little while to bring the meds up, but that’ll give the discharge papers time to catch up.” Dr. Kincaid told him. “I want you to keep an eye on the head injury. Mike’s CT scan came back okay, but sometimes small bleeds can be hard to detect. Keep an eye out for excessive sleepiness, headaches or any changes in behavior.”

That wouldn’t be hard to do; Harvey would be watching Mike like a hawk for the foreseeable future. “Will do. Thank you, doctor.” He held out his hand to offer the doctor handshake. “I’m sure Mike feels the same way, but he’s a little out of it right now.”

Mike was, technically, upright in the wheelchair, but his head was lolling, which was why the doctor had been addressing his comments to Harvey.

Dr. Kincaid chuckled. “He’s obviously not feeling any pain at the moment. I hope you can get him home before it wears off.”

The doctor wasn’t the only one hoping for that. Jennifer, the nurse, pushed Mike back to his cubicle and was very efficient about removing Mike’s IV. Mike barely seemed to notice. Harvey took the time to call Ray and let him know that Mike was soon to be released; Ray promised to be outside waiting for them. 

Only then did Harvey check out the clothing that Donna had brought. He thought as he pulled it out that the sweat pants an t-shirt were too big to be Mike’s. As he got a good look at what she’d chosen, Harvey realized, despite Mike having as many clothes at his place as Harvey did, that Donna had grabbed some of Harvey’s things instead of Mike’s. The t-shirt was a soft gray fabric and had “Harvard” across the chest.

Donna was far too clever, not to mention perceptive, to have picked up Harvey’s clothing by mistake. Even if she didn’t know that Harvey was Mike’s Daddy, and Harvey wasn’t so sure of that anymore, she knew how protective Harvey would be feeling while Mike was injured. Her choice of clothing for Mike had as much to do with Harvey’s comfort as it did Mike’s.

“Come on, Mike, let’s get you dressed.”

Mike was more than half asleep. Harvey wasn’t sure what was worse, attempting to dress a basically limp body or working around Mike’s fumbling when he did attempt to help. Thankfully Mike was as skinny as he was tall, so even though he was almost the same height as Harvey, it was possible to manhandle him. Through it all, though, Harvey never forgot that Mike had a broken arm. The green cast came in handy; the bright color was a constant reminder to be careful. 

“What the hell?” Harvey ran into a problem only after he’d gotten Mike in the pants and shirt. He belatedly realized that Mike had no shoes on. “What happened to your shoes?”

By that time, they were both sitting on the edge of the bed. Mike had his head on Harvey’s shoulder, but blearily lifted his head at hearing Harvey’s question. “Wha’ shoes?”

“The ones you were wearing when you left the apartment this morning.” Harvey cast his memory back and swallowed hard as he realized that Mike hadn’t been wearing shoes when he’d entered the ER. The car must have hit him so hard that it tore him right out of his shoes. 

Subdued, Harvey kissed the top of Mike’s head. Mike could have lost much more than just a pair of loafers. 

“Looks like he’s ready to go,” Jennifer, the nurse, said when she returned. “I have his meds here. Just a few signatures, Mike, and you can go home.”

Like before, the word perked Mike up. “Home?”

Harvey glanced over the documents and, seeing that they were standard release forms, helped Mike get into position to sign them. Luckily Mike’s dominant arm wasn’t the one that was broken, so he had no problem with that part of it.

“Can we go now?” Mike asked plaintively as soon as he was finished. His momentary alertness was starting to lapse and he slumped in his chair.

Jennifer laughed. “Absolutely. Just, take care with that bike. Don’t take this personally, but we’d rather not see you here again.”

“You won’t.” Harvey vowed. If he had his way, Mike would never be getting on a bicycle again.

It only took a few moments to find a volunteer who accompanied them to the lobby, although Harvey insisted on pushing the wheelchair. True to form, Ray was waiting with the car.

“Ray!” Mike crowed when he saw him, seemingly happier the moment they were out of the hospital. “Look, I got a cast and it’s green.”

Ray opened the back door as Harvey wheeled Mike closer. “I see that.”

“It’s Kermit the Cast,” Mike continued as Harvey helped him out of the chair and into the back seat. “Jessica’s gonna hate it.”

“I bet,” Ray exchanged amused looks with Harvey. “I see Mr. Ross is feeling no pain.”

“Not at the moment,” Harvey answered in a dry tone as he clambered in behind Mike. The volunteer took the wheelchair and headed back inside. “Let’s get him home before that changes.”

“Will do, boss.” Ray shut the door and was soon around to the driver’s side. For once, Harvey skipped the seat belts and instead pulled Mike into his arms. 

“Thanks for letting me get a green cast, Daddy.” Mike’s voice was soft enough that Ray couldn’t hear, showing that he wasn’t quite as out of it as he appeare.

“You deserved it,” Harvey kissed Mike’s temple. “I was very proud of you today, Mike. You were very brave.”

Mike snuggled close. “Because you were there. You make me brave.”

Harvey wasn’t so sure about that, but couldn’t help but bask in the praise. Mike needed a Daddy, but it wasn’t a one-sided arrangement. Harvey needed a boy every bit as much. 

“I’ll always be there for you,” Harvey promised. He kissed Mike again and squeeze him tight. “Now try and get some rest; we’ll be home soon.”

The ride was especially smooth; Ray must be taking extra special care, although Harvey wasn’t sure if that was in hopes of a large bonus or if he genuinely cared enough about Mike to try and take it easy on him. In the end, it didn’t really matter. Harvey had every intention of rewarding the people who took special care of his boy.

Finally having Mike safe in his arms after a very stressful morning, Harvey was almost sorry when the drive came to a close. As Ray pulled the car in front of Harvey’s building, Harvey sighed and gently jostled his lover. “Wake up, Mike, we’re home.”

“Mmmm. . . .” Mike murmured. “Five more minutes, Daddy.”

Harvey was tempted to instruct Ray to circle the block a few times, but one of them had to be a grown-up and, as the Daddy, he supposed it was him. “Come on, you’ll be more comfortable on the bed.”

“I’ve been on a bed all morning,” Mike whined as Harvey opened the door and started to get out. “I’m tired of being in bed.”

“On the couch, then.” Harvey coaxed. He climbed out and offered a hand to Mike. Mike sighed and reluctantly let himself be drawn out of the car.

“Thanks, Ray.” Harvey said as he moved passed the driver and towards the door. It was a short enough distance that Mike’s feet being clad in only socks wasn’t a problem.

“Anytime, Boss.” Ray smiled at them. “Hope you feel better, Mike.”

Mike leaned heavily against Harvey as the older man led him inside. Harvey gladly took some of the weight and once they were in the elevator, completely folded Mike into his arms again. 

“Are we there yet?” Mike asked, his eyes closed as he soaked in Harvey’s presence.

“Almost.” Harvey kissed the top of Mike’s head. “Just hang on a few more minutes.”

Despite Harvey’s promise, it seemed longer than that for the elevator to get to the right floor. When it did, Harvey tugged Mike into motion, carefully supporting the injured man and guiding his steps. The last thing they needed was for Mike to trip and hurt his head or arm even more.

Once inside, Harvey made a beeline for the couch, grateful yet again that he’d bought a big, comfortable one once Mike started spending a substantial amount of time at his place. He gently deposited Mike amongst the cushions, smiling indulgently at Mike’s sigh of contentment. He swung Mike’s legs up and started to back up, intending to see to some chores since Mike was comfortable.

“Don’t go.” Mike’s eyes looked impossibly large in his too-pale face. “You promised you wouldn’t leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Mike.” Harvey promised. “I’m not leaving the apartment.”

“That’s too far,” Mike whined. “Stay with me.”

There was a lot that Harvey should do. Mike needed to get something in his stomach before he had to take pain medication. Harvey should get him something to eat, not to mention checking in with the office to see how proceedings were coming against the woman responsible for the accident. At some point, Mike was going to want to know what happened to his bike, so Harvey needed to look into that and also contact Donna to make sure all of his appointments for the rest of the week had been successfully rescheduled.

Yes, there were things that Harvey should do, but the one thing he needed to do was comfort Mike. He smiled at the younger man. “Move over.”

Mike smiled happily and scooted so that there was room behind him. Harvey positioned himself against the arm of the couch and pulled Mike against him, careful as always of Mike’s injured arm. After some wiggling and shifting from both of them, they found a position that made them both comfortable.

“Better?” Harvey asked as his arms wrapped around Mike’s middle.

Mike sighed. “Much. Thanks, Daddy, for taking care of me today.”

“Always, Mike.” Harvey nuzzled his face into Mike’s hair. “I’ll always take care of you.”

“Good.” Mike yawned hugely, prompting a laugh from Harvey. 

“Sleep, little boy, Daddy’s here.” Harvey encouraged. Mike rubbed his face against the fabric of Harvey’s shirt. Harvey kept up a patter of comfort phrases, hands moving back and forth against Mike’s back. Slowly he felt the body pillowed against him grow heavier; Mike had given again to the pull of the medication and had fallen asleep.

For a moment, Harvey’s memory flashed back to seeing Mike pale and bloody on the pavement. His arms tightened instinctively and Mike stirred in response. It was a reminder that the much-loved young man in Harvey’s arms was safe and alive.

And Harvey was dedicated to keeping it that way.

~the end~


End file.
